It's time for JEI (Just Enough Info) with The Zelie Group!
Link up your answers to this week's questions or answer in the comments!
This week we're talking about our upcoming feast days of All Saints and All Souls, and Halloween!
1. How do you celebrate the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day feasts?
I call these three days the Catholic Halloween Trifecta. Because why have one day for remembering the dead and dressing up when you could have THREE?!
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| We do Halloween big y'all. |
All Souls - This is the day I focus on prepping our family altar for the month of remembering the dead. I cut out a big, red, construction paper heart and I write the names of all of our friends, family, and loved ones who have died. (This might be the year I make two. I'm gaining a lot of buddies waiting in heaven.)
Ideally we would visit a cemetery this day, but I think that will happen this Saturday instead.
We are planning on attending mass as a family this day to honor our family's little saint.
Our friend's are hosting an All Souls potluck the following weekend. We're supposed to bring drinks or dishes that mean a lot to us in memory of someone who has passed.
Kind of like a wake for everyone you've ever known.
I really love celebrating all three days because this is one of the few times in our society when discussion of death can be had when the deaths themselves are not as raw as they are at a funeral. As a Catholic kid growing up, the idea of the communion of saints was such a comfort, and these feast days are an opportunity to have a tactile interaction with that concept.
2. What was your favorite costume as a kid growing up?
My mom sewed my sister and I matching Thumbelina outfits one Halloween. I was very into Thumbelina since the movie had just come out that year, and my sister and I were used to being dressed alike. Being 10 months apart will do that.
(Y'all, I couldn't find one picture of this dress to show you that wasn't covered under copyright. Just google Thumbelina 1994 and you'll find some examples.)
3. What candy are you most likely to “test for safety” from the kiddo’s loot?
Well, I have a secret for y'all......I'm not really into chocolate. Or candy. Or really sugar.
It's not that I don't like it (I do!) but I never hit that "oh my gosh this tastes amazing and I want to keep eating it" thing. I feel a little bit like I'm missing out on some awesome human experience. I can see that other people very much enjoy these things. I love that you love it, ok?
Twix is probably the closest thing I have to enjoying chocolate. I'm a very not hipster milk chocolate + caramel person.
Your turn! Answer the following questions:
1. How do you celebrate the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day feasts?
2. What was your favorite costume as a kid growing up?
3. What candy are you most likely to “test for safety” from the kiddo’s loot?
Next week - we're talking sports and exercise!
What sports do your kids play?
What do you do for exercise?
In the Mom Olympics, what would your event be?
No wonder that was a favorite costume, Thumbelina was a favorite movie for our family as well growing up. Except-- I did find the frog with bosoms a little disconcerting... :)
ReplyDeleteYes! I also found the beetle scene confusing as a kid.
DeleteMy favorites were the fairies riding around and changing the seasons.
I love the idea of an All Souls potluck-what a super cool idea. I am seriously such a fan of that, and I need to file it away for next year (I'm not sure I could pull that together since my husband will be out of town for the two weekends on either end of All Souls Day this year!). Growing up as a homeschooled kid, I loved the All Saints Day party each year-it was always so neat to see what saint everyone dressed as!
ReplyDeleteThis year, since baby Peter is most likely beginning the teething process (our pediatrician said we may not see teeth for another couple months, but that he's probably working on it currently) and gets super mad in the evenings, I don't think we'll do too much for the Halloween trifecta besides attending Mass and doing a small celebration at home (and going to a cemetery at some point, probably the weekend after All Souls).
Growing up, my favorite costume (which I wore for 2-3 years straight!) was St. Kateri Tekakwitha. We had found some $1/yard thin tan fleece from the store, and I used it to make a fringed skirt, shirt, poncho, and leggings, and used some vinyl to make moccasins-it was very comfy in those cold falltime days! (we lived in NY at the time) I love costumes and dressing up, and one of these years-when we have actual plans for Halloween/All Saints outside of our home, I really want to make an epic, somewhat gory martyr costume for one of the female saints out there. I just think it would be tons of fun! If I ever get that motivated haha.
I love that you guys get dressed up! Not many families all join in the fun :)
ReplyDeleteI love your idea of the heart with people to pray for. I may copy that idea!
ReplyDelete